


if there was any justice in the world, Sam would shift into a cat.

by 10redplums



Series: planes campaign fic [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Misogyny, Other, lots of parentheses, mandarin ducks, preconceived notions about afab asian people, thinking about murdering your future spouse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28732350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/10redplums/pseuds/10redplums
Summary: Sam deals with preconceived notions about soulmates, romance, and cultures.
Series: planes campaign fic [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044054
Kudos: 2
Collections: Banned Together Bingo 2020





	if there was any justice in the world, Sam would shift into a cat.

“Don’t Mandarin ducks mate for life?”

The question everyone asked, eventually, once Sam had started to show. They hadn’t shown in elementary, when there had been little magazines with “What will  _ you _ become?”, or in high school, where their classmates had discovered romance. Sam had… participated. Sort of. Certainly they’d had crushes. Mostly on book characters, admittedly, but there had been a few on classmates, probably (amatonormativity). Looking back, Sam’s glad they hadn’t started to show then. They’d had terrible taste. But the structures, the little boxes, the questions that would lead them to a single answer, that had been nice (possible neurodivergence).

To their chagrin, they had started to show about the same time they’d started dating in college. Several of their partners had hoped the romance would blossom into soulmate-hood, but, alas. The markings around their eyes and charming smattering of feathers around their face and down to their shoulders had never grown into More. (They’d hoped, a little, with Hector, but. Alas (Sincerely this time).)

“Is it because I’m not Chinese?” or “Is it because it’s an inauspicious match?”

The usual second question was one of the two, which. Sam felt a little bad for them for that perception, they supposed? They’re still not quite sure why. But really, if anyone’s a bad choice it would be Sam (only half-Chinese). They’ve never made a secret of it. 

An aunt of theirs from their father’s side had been delighted, when they’d started to show, claiming it would make them a wonderful wife, but. Really. 

They were so kind (eldest-daughter syndrome) and pretty (luck of the genetic draw) and smart (bookish-child syndrome) and understanding (possible neurodivergence? Eldest-daughter syndrome? Dealer’s choice). Anyone would be lucky to have them (false).  _ Really _ .

It always came back to the ducks. 

Really, all that meant to Sam was that whoever they married, they’d marry for life. All  _ that  _ meant was they needed to look carefully for a spouse they wouldn’t need to feed rat poison eventually. All  _ that _ meant was they needed to narrow their pool down to people who don’t have a lot of preconceived notions about Chinese “women” (agender). Maybe the Mandarin ducks question was good for something after all.

Or they could take their mother’s advice and not marry at all, or at least stop expecting to meet their soulmate. Honestly, if they’ve learned one thing from all the dating it’s that they might not be cut out for it, or for romance in general (greyromantic). But the numbers don’t lie; the feathers mean they’ll meet their soulmate. They feel the need to at least try, or at least to perform it in a way that was easy to understand as loving (amatonormativity, cultural differences).

“How do  _ you _ feel about all this?”

Is the question that’s never been asked, and stops Sam dead in their tracks. They lift their head from Garfield’s shoulder to look at him, and the two of them move to the side of the bridge. Around them, people enjoy their nice afternoon at the park.

“About- what?”

“About… you know,” he says, gesturing at them. “The soulmate thing.” 

They keep looking at him, and then they shift their grip to hold his hand and they keep walking. “It’s a good plot device,” they say. Really, the number of romcoms still being produced wherein the heroine transforms into a beautiful swan when her eyes meet someone’s across a crowded room attests to that, and also to Hollywood’s continued ignoring of the waterfowl’s  _ real _ propensity, which is for violence.

… Maybe they should stop complaining about the Mandarin duck thing.

Garfield laughs and squeezes their hand, and they swing it a little. “How do  _ you _ feel about it?” they throw back at him. He hums thoughtfully.

“I won’t lie,” he says, “I did want to be The One for you. But you’re very dear to me, and the shifting-” the lack thereof- “isn’t going to change that.”

“What about my whole… The whole ‘how do I do a romance’ thing?” 

“Sam,” he says, stopping them again. He takes both of their hands but doesn’t make them look him in the face, which they appreciate. “You make it very clear how you feel about me, and that’s enough. I don’t need you to be anyone other than yourself. I don’t need you to- to do a romance-” he laughs a little- “any way other than how you do a romance.” He smiles at them and the tears come hot and embarrassing, and he panics and lets go of their hands to let them wipe at their face. On purpose _.  _ On  _ purpose _ they will love this man. Forget destiny. On  _ purpose _ .

There is no fanfare. Petals don’t rain from the sky, and there is no choir. Instead, Garfield suddenly has his arms full of flustered chirping waterfowl, and he laughs and laughs and laughs, and when they’ve finished flapping madly at him he holds them to his chest, still beaming.


End file.
